From a retail perspective it makes way more sense for ikea to choose Tulsa. However ikea is not likely to choose Oklahoma at all and this all a rumor. DFW has 3 ikeas within a 3 hour drive for OKC and 4 hour for Tulsa in addition to KC 4 hours. It makes no business sense for ikea to build in Oklahoma. Before everyone yells at me, I was born and raised in Tulsa and lived in OKC for years. Now live in Texas. I am always rooting for Tulsa. OKC sucks. Lol

You have to wonder if the pull Tulsa receives from NW Arkansas will play any part in this (if actually true) and any future retail announcements. People there historically have driven the 2 hours on Hwy 412 for shopping (less so now that they have a lot of the same stores) but definitely for concerts and also for Southwest flights from TIA. NW Ark. is a metro of 525,000 with a moderate growth rate and decent average incomes due to the Wal-Mart/Tyson corporate HQ's. Combine that with Tulsa's CSA population and that's 1.7 million, and probably around 2 million with the rest of NE Oklahoma included.

I don’t believe this rumor. Ikea has stopped/canceled four planned expansions in the last few months in metros larger than Oklahoma City saying they are changing their focus from suburban areas and want to focus on stores in urban centers and online sales. They canceled planned stores in Raleigh-Durham, Nashville and one Glendale, AZ, which would have been a second Phoenix store and IKEA ended negations for a Cleveland area store. What’s more, tariffs are hitting retail construction hard.

North Oklahoma City is in no way an “urban center” and OKC doesn’t have the retail market of any of those cities. It makes no sense.

I'm not buying that they want to build in "urban centers." They have been extraordinarily successful with their current model, massive big box in the suburbs with an ocean of parking. They won't get that in urban centers. Urban dwellers will go to IKEA as a destination. That northern part of OKC fits perfectly with what they've been doing. If they are not building there it would likely be because it's not a big enough metro and statistics probably show that Oklahomans for the most part will go to Dallas or Kansas City for IKEA. No real need to build in OKC or Tulsa.

I'm not buying that they want to build in "urban centers." They have been extraordinarily successful with their current model, massive big box in the suburbs with an ocean of parking. They won't get that in urban centers. Urban dwellers will go to IKEA as a destination. That northern part of OKC fits perfectly with what they've been doing. If they are not building there it would likely be because it's not a big enough metro and statistics probably show that Oklahomans for the most part will go to Dallas or Kansas City for IKEA. No real need to build in OKC or Tulsa.

I'm not making this up. City Centers is where they are going:

Quote

Last year, Ikea saw a 40 percent drop in U.K. profits, prompting the Swedish retailer to rethink its strategy. Instead of building big-box hubs on the outskirts of cities (the company has pulled the plug on what would have been the second largest Ikea location in the U.K.), Ikea will begin rolling out a series of smaller retail experiences in the heart of urban centers

Despite its fervent fan base, the company has seen declines in revenue growth and net income in recent years. Sales increased by more than 8% in 2015 and 2016, but fell short of 4% growth in the most recent two years, according to IBISWorld. Meanwhile, net income fell by more than 40% in the last fiscal year.

IKEA said pulling out of the the Cary location was not about any deficiencies in the town, but was part of a corporate strategy to curtail some of its expansion projects and focus on other initiatives.

"Over the last year, IKEA U.S. has been on a journey to expand our multi-channel shopping experience with new retail locations, enhanced technology and greater accessibility to meet today’s customers where they are in today’s fast-changing retail environment," Ikea said in a statement to The News & Observer. "As part of this journey, we have challenged ourselves to re-evaluate some of our upcoming expansion projects. While this is an extremely difficult decision, we will not be moving forward with our plans to build a store in Cary, N.C. We appreciate the outpouring of support and excitement that our fans have expressed, and we are disappointed that we will not be able to physically join the vibrant Cary community. "

A spokeswoman said the company wasn't in a position to disclose whether other expansion projects will proceed or not, some of which are already under development. Last year, Ikea announced it would open stores in Nashville and in Glendale, Arizona, in 2020.

I like Ikea and have used it probably more than most Oklahomans and I get the hype. However, they've made it where shipping is pretty affordable (Was ~$9 for my last online order and ~$90 when I ordered a pallet or two of cabinets). What's so great about having an international company move in and siphon profits from Oklahoma to another country? Sure the alternatives are probably Target/Amazon/Walmart but at least those are American companies.

I get having one a bit closer would be more convenient for Oklahomans, but with the new shipping rates, it's much easier to order online. If you go into an Ikea, you're bound to buy more than you planned and get some things you don't really need. That's how they thrive. It can be a retail boost for the area, but I've been to a couple Ikeas that were basically parking lot ghost towns with basically nothing else close enough to benefit (and besides, it takes so long, it's a 1-stop trip for the majority of people going there).

Ikea was really great 8+ years ago when there really wasn't much competition in terms of prices and especially style, but other places have really upped their game along with online options driving down prices/styles available. Plus the Ikea-look is pretty recognizable and not so great or cutting edge anymore. Basically make anything into almost perfect square shapes or add clean radii on edges. Modern!

IKEA also caters to many college students. OKC is very centrally located with 3 of the state's largest universities (OU, OSU, UCO) close; also it's close enough to serve Tulsa. Now this is by no means a done deal. As one poster mentioned; they (IKEA) have been known to not follow through or abandoned interest.

Either city (Tulsa or Oklahoma City) would be situated for one city to pull customers from the other; location probably will be a factor IF IKEA locates in Oklahoma.

« Last Edit: October 09, 2018, 01:58:01 pm by Laramie »

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IKEA also caters to many college students. OKC is very centrally located with 3 of the state's largest universities (OU, OSU, UCO) close; also it's close enough to serve Tulsa. Now this is by no means a done deal. As one poster mentioned; they (IKEA) have been known to not follow through or abandoned interest.

Either city (Tulsa or Oklahoma City) would be situated for one city to pull customers from the other; location probably will be a factor IF IKEA locates in Oklahoma.

Ikea caters mostly to young professional, 20-something to 30-somethings, and young families. Their customer base is mostly 22-34 year olds. I don't think being close to colleges is that important as college students have far less disposable income and much lower need for furniture than young professionals. Tulsa and OKC are likely pretty even in terms of number 22-34 year olds within a 2 hour drive. OKC metro will have significantly more but Tulsa is much better situated to service NWA (including UofA) plus ORU, TU, RSU, NSU's, OSU's, et al and is the home metro of a large number of OU students too. They definitely need that group to be customers after graduation but Tulsa seems to cover a bit more ground regionally.

Based on Ikea cutting back and boost in online supply, I don't see them adding a location in Oklahoma. There's always a rumor about this place going in that place (See the Google Fiber rumors coming to Oklahoma).

Ikea caters mostly to young professional, 20-something to 30-somethings, and young families. Their customer base is mostly 22-34 year olds. I don't think being close to colleges is that important as college students have far less disposable income and much lower need for furniture than young professionals. Tulsa and OKC are likely pretty even in terms of number 22-34 year olds within a 2 hour drive. OKC metro will have significantly more but Tulsa is much better situated to service NWA (including UofA) plus ORU, TU, RSU, NSU's, OSU's, et al and is the home metro of a large number of OU students too. They definitely need that group to be customers after graduation but Tulsa seems to cover a bit more ground regionally.

Based on Ikea cutting back and boost in online supply, I don't see them adding a location in Oklahoma. There's always a rumor about this place going in that place (See the Google Fiber rumors coming to Oklahoma).

We can all make a case for IKEA to be in either city. Right now their eyes are on OKC. I'm not a fan of online purchases for certain items--it makes a great difference when you visit the showrooms, see, feel, smell & touch the products you plan to purchase--that's the old school in me.

Tulsa is poised for growth; possesses many quality retail stores. OKC lately has an influx of retail & distribution planned or currently under construction; the difference, OKC's growth rate has made it attractive to many establishments that chose Tulsa and bypassed OKC earlier.

The Memorial Road corridor in far north area of OKC continues to be the focus of many big-box retailers and new-to-market chains.

I moved back to OKC from the Metroplex (DFW) in the late 90s, my visits to Tulsa (son lives in & loves T-town) have always been pleasant. Tulsa is on the verge with a lot of impressive progress; however if you haven't been to OKC of late it's a totally different place than the late 80s & early 90s. OKC's central location and access from I-35/I-40 (Americas crossroads) has been a plus for a city positioned near Wichita & Tulsa. Oklahoma City is undergoing a complete $1.2 general obligation bonds/MAPS initative package to upgrade/replace roads, bridges, parks, Hall of Fame Stadium, Chesapeake Energy Arena; this is exclusive of the current $777 million of MAPS III projects under construction which includes a new convention center, downtown park, Streetcar and Riversport Rapids rafting facility. You'll see a $2 billion economic boost ($987 bonds/$240 million MAPS initiative) that doesn't include private development planned.

Again, IKEA is considering OKC; you bet they didn't overlook Tulsa.

« Last Edit: October 10, 2018, 12:41:51 pm by Laramie »

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They aren't considering either place, but most all arguments for OKC Ikea location make as much/more sense when applied to Tulsa. OKC isn't close to any major metro areas that aren't also close to Tulsa (For example, Wichita is about as far from Tulsa/OKC) while Tulsa also has NW Arkansas and it's nearly 1 million inhabitants, not to mention SW Missouri that's far more populated than western Oklahoma. There are around 3.5 million within 2.5 hour drive of Tulsa compared to about 2.2 million for OKC.

OKCTalk forum has a 'Tulsa & suburbs development' thread. Would be nice if any TulsaNow posters could contribute to this thread so as to keep us informed of the many projects planned for the Tulsa community.

They aren't considering either place, but most all arguments for OKC Ikea location make as much/more sense when applied to Tulsa. OKC isn't close to any major metro areas that aren't also close to Tulsa (For example, Wichita is about as far from Tulsa/OKC) while Tulsa also has NW Arkansas and it's nearly 1 million inhabitants, not to mention SW Missouri that's far more populated than western Oklahoma. There are around 3.5 million within 2.5 hour drive of Tulsa compared to about 2.2 million for OKC.

Thanks for the updated info & source; the source cited sounds very credible, another disappointment...

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“Think for yourself and let others enjoy the privilege of doing so too.” ― Voltaire

OKCTalk forum has a 'Tulsa & suburbs development' thread. Would be nice if any TulsaNow posters could contribute to this thread so as to keep us informed of the many projects planned for the Tulsa community.

Tulsa & Oklahoma City are our state's two major MSAs, it's exciting to see all the growth planned; also equally disappointing to see the projects and developments that didn't mature to full fruition.

Thanks for sharing that! Didn't realize there was a board about Tulsa developments over there. Good to see that some in OKC are informed about Tulsa developments. There was a lot of chatter about how much better and more advanced OKC is when the "Ikea to OKC" rumor started (i.e: https://old.reddit.com/r/oklahoma/comments/9lcx5e/ikea_considering_oklahoma_city/e765878/) and seems like most in OKC don't understand what all is going on in Tulsa (We had CostCo yeard before OKC is getting one, Tulsa has an Urban Outfitters, had uber/lyft first and has a Trader Joe's. The recently completed Gathering Place is the best most-expensive city park in the United States.).

Tulsa was behind in the urban revival it was late to add taxes to pay for improvements and also because most of Tulsa's midtown areas (Like Maple Ridge, Brookside, Florence Park, Yorktown, Utica Square, Cherry Street, Ranch Acres, Bryan Mahr, etc) were thriving throughout its history so there was nothing to renew. OKC's urban core was pretty much gutted economically for several decades so it had nowhere to go but up with ample cheap land/houses for developers. Commercial/Industrial land in the core of Tulsa remained pretty pricey and industry continued pretty thoroughly in a lot of the run down neighborhoods (although housing in a few inner-city neighborhoods got really cheap for a while). Now its especially tough to buy anything except at the "developer price".

OKC was smart getting a head start in urban development but Tulsa has definitely caught up with better more complete urban districts that are surrounded by very nice housing. OKC has nice urban areas too and larger more-developed downtown. Tulsa has nothing like Bricktown, but has nicer high-end urban districts thanks to rich folk sticking around since the homes were first built (Cherry Street, Utica Square, Maple Ridge/Brookside). Compare the Tulsa Arts District to Bricktown to see the difference between Tulsa and OKC overall (Generic/Corporate/kitschy/Family-friendly/suburban vs Unique/Organic/Improvised/Artsy/local). Both are nice and I know OKC has plenty of more artsy areas like Paseo, but so does Tulsa (Pearl and Whittier Districts). I've been to OKC a number of times throughout my life. Cool to see the changes, but also glad that Tulsa is holding its own now so that there's not as much of a need to go visit OKC.

IKEA product placement specialist, has informed The Daily in an email that though IKEA is always looking for new opportunities to expand, they have not announced plans for a store in Oklahoma City and that it is "purely speculation."

That sounds less like a denial and more like a "we haven't announced anything yet".

the quote is definitely not a "IKEA has no plans to enter the OKC market" level refutation

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